Several different embodiments of settling apparatus comprising a plurality of parallel and inclined settling canals separated by lamellar elements are known to the art. By way of example may be mentioned those apparatuses which are described in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,868,384, 3,494,475, 3,741,892, and in the German patent No. 3 010 365. It is also known to utilize tubular settling channels, according to Swedish patent No. 352 243. Those apparatus which so far have been used in practice, however, have not satisfactorily met the specific demands which are required for settling apparatus intended for the separation of amalgam from waste water in dentists' practices, i.e. for applications where there is a comparatively small flow of water. The known apparatus either have been designed for very large installations and to comply with those specific demands which are raised in connection with such large installations, or they do not have satisfactory separation efficiency.